Fire-escape.



No. 642,779. Patented Feb. 6 I900.

J. F.' BATES;

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application filed June 18, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l,

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No. 642,779. Patented Feb. 6, I900. J. F. BATES.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application filed June 13, 1899.)

"(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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No. 642,779. Patented Feb. 6, I900. J. F. BATES.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application fxled June 18, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheei$heet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. BATES, OF SETAUKET, NEW YORK.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,779, dated February 6, 1900.

Application filed June 13, 1899- Serial No. 720,342. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Setauket, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fire-escapes; and the object thereof is to provide an apparatus of this class by means of which any number of persons may quickly and easily escape from a burning building without danger of accident.

The invention consists of a column or columns connected with the outer wall of a buildin g and forming elevator-shafts and provided with elevator-cars, the adjacent sides of the columns being open and said cars being provided with platforms which are adapted to be raised and lowered together therewith and to be held in a horizontal position, so that persons in the building may escape from the windows thereof onto said platforms and over said platforms to the elevator-cars, and thus descend to the ground.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing a building provided with one form of my improved fire-escape apparatus; Fig. 2, a sectional plan view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification; Fig. 4, a perspective view showing another modification, and Fig. 5 a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawings forming part of this specification the separate parts of my improvement are designated by numerals of reference, and in said drawings, reference being made to Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown a building provided with corner-columns 5. These columns may be composed of any desired material and may be constructed in any desired manner and may be formed in connection with the walls 6 of the building when the latter are constructed or may be formed independently thereof, and said columns constitute elevatorshafts and are provided with elevator-cars 7. The elevator-cars 7 may be raised or lowered in the usual or any preferred manner, and the columns 5 are open vertically at their adjacent sides, as shown at 8, and in practice I provide a platform 9, which is connected with the cars 7 by any suitable form of connection 10. The connections 10, as shown in the drawings, are flexible, so as to permit the vertical movement of the elevator-car and to provide means whereby one of said cars maybe moved slightly in advance of the other when going in either direction. With this apparatus the parties in the building may escape therefrom onto the platform 9 and moved fromsaid platform into the cars 7 and descend to the ground with absolute safety and ease, and the columns 5 are provided at the bottom thereof with doors 11.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modificatio nof this construction in which corner columns 12 are employed similar in all respects to 19 are connected with the platforms 15 and passed over the pulley-wheels 18 and connected with a Windlass or similar device 20 in the elevator-car. With this form of construction the platforms 15 when not in use are raised, as shown at the right of Fig. 3, within the columns 12; but when in use these platforms are lowered, as shown at the left of Fig. 3, and project horizontally across the wall of the building, and parties desiring to escape from the building pass out through the windows 21 onto the platforms 15 and then into the cars 14. The building shown in Fig. 3 is also provided with a central column 22, which also forms an elevator-shaft and which is provided with an elevator-car 23, and at each floor of the building and in line with the windows therein the column 22 is provided with side openings 24, which form doors,and when the platforms .15 are in the horizontal position parties standing thereon may enter the central column-22 and the car 23 therein, or said parties may pass into the corner-columns 12 and the cars 14 therein.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown another modification in which a building 25 is provided at one corner with a column 26, forming an elevator-shaft which is open at both sides, as shown at 27, and mounted in said elevator-shaft is an elevator-car 28, to the bottom of which is hinged at each side a platform 29, and connected with these platforms, preferably centrally thereof, is a cord, chain, or other flexible device 30, and these flexible devices are passed over pulleys 31 at the top of the elevator-car and carried downwardly and connected with a Windlass or other similar device within the car. By means of the Windlass and the cords, chains, or other devices 30 the platforms 29 may be raised into a vertical position within the column 26, as shown at the right of Fig. 3, or said platforms may be raised into the position shown in Fig. 4, and by providing a column or elevatorshaft at the corner, as shown in this figure, a single apparatus may be made to serve for both sides of a building or for windows in both sides thereof.

In each form of construction it will be seen that the main principles are the same, the hollow vertical columns forming elevatorshafts being provided, said shafts being also provided with elevator-cars, and said cars,

except where an intermediate column is employed, being provided with platforms adapted to be held in a horizontal position and to be raised and lowered in connection with said oars.

My improved fire-escape apparatus forms an absolute safe and convenient means of escape from a building, and by means thereof any number of parties may quickly and easily descend to the ground without danger of injury or serious accident.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A building, a wall of which is provided with a vertical column forming an elevatorshaft which is open at one side, an elevatorcar mounted in said shaft, and a device connected'with said car to enable parties in the building to pass from the windows thereof into said car, substantially as shown and described.

2. A building the wall of which is provided with a vertical column forming an elevatorshaft, an elevator-car therein, said shaft being open at one side, and said car being provided with a platform which is adapted to be held in a horizontal position and to be folded vertically within the column, said platform being adapted to be raised and lowered with said car, whereby parties may escape through awindow or windows of the building onto said platform and into said car, substantially as shown and described.

3. A building, the Walls of which are provided with vertical columns open at one side and forming elevator-shafts, elevator-cars mounted in said columns, and platforms connected with said cars and adapted to be raised and lowered therewith, said platforms being also adapted to beheld in a horizontal position and to be raised into a vertical position within said shafts, whereby parties may escape from the windows of the building onto said platforms, and into said cars, substantially as shown and described.

4. A building, the walls of which are provided with vertical columns forming elevatorshafts, elevator-cars therein, said shafts being open at one side, and said cars being provided with platforms which are adapted to be held in a horizontal position, and to be raised and lowered with said oars, whereby parties may escape through the windows of the building onto said platforms and into said cars, said platforms being adapted to be raised into a vertical position within said columns, substantially as shown and described.

5. A building, the walls of which are provided with vertical columns forming elevatorshafts, elevator-cars therein, said shafts being open at one side, and said cars being provided with platforms which are adapted to be held in a horizontal position, and to be raised and lowered with said cars, whereby parties may escape through the windows of the buildin g onto said platforms and into said cars, said platforms being adapted to be raised in to a vertical position within said columns, said building being also provided with a central column having an elevator-car, and with side openings forming access to said car, substantially as shown and described.

6. A building the wall of which is provided with a vertical column forming an elevatorshaft which is open at one side, and an elevator-car therein, said car being provided with a platform which is adapted to be held in a horizontal position, said platform being adapted to be raised and lowered with said car, whereby parties may escape through a window or windows of the building onto said platform and into said car, substantially as shown and described.

7. A building the walls of which are provided with a vertical column forming an elevator-shaft, said shaft being open at its side and being provided with an elevator-car, a platform connected with said car and adapted to be raised and lowered therewith, whereby parties may escape from the windows of the building to said platform and into said car and means whereby the platform may be supported in a horizontal position relatively to said car,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 2d day of June, 1899.

JOHN F. BATES.

lVitnesses:

M. G. DAVIS, HAROLD SMITH. 

